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The FightLockdown Forecast - K-1 2009 World Grand Prix Finals
Written by Miles Hackett   
Friday, 04 December 2009 22:49
At 3am (EST), the eagerly anticipated K-1 2009 World Grand Prix finals will finally commence. This card features a number of extremely enticing match-ups and will likely bring drama as any other GP tends to. Bringing you your very first K-1 forecast tonight are Michael Wall, Shahin Nazari, and Jamie Hughes. Read on to find out what they think is in store for us!









Keiichi Samukawa vs. Ryuji Kajiwara

Michael Wall: Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Ryuji Kajiwara.

Shahin Nazari: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Ryuji Kajiwara.

Jamie Hughes: Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Ryuji Kajiwara.


The Final Forecast: Kajiwara stops Samukawa in two rounds.


Jan Soukup vs. Tsutomu Takahagi

Michael: Winner via Unanimous Decision Jan Soukup.

Shahin: Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Tsutomu Takahagi.

Jamie: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Tsutomu Takahagi.


The Final Forecast: Takahagi wins in convincing fashion.


Singh Jaideep vs. Maokoto Uehara

Michael: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Singh Jaideep.

Shahin: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Singh Jaideep.

Jamie: Winner via 3rd round (T)KO: Singh Jaideep.


The Final Forecast: Jaideep takes Uehara the distance and gets the nod from the judges.


Reserve Fights


Peter Aerts vs. Gokhan Saki

Michael: Mr. K-1 Peter Aerts is back to try and keep his streak of being in every K-1 GP Final and he faces off against Gokhan Saki. Aerts is coming off a humbling loss to Alistair Overeem that saw him just simply overpowered and for one of the first times he looked his age. Saki is not only coming off a loss, but an injury as well. This is also a case of the old guard facing off against the new guard and in this fight, but I'm sticking with the old guard though. That said, if Saki is back to 100% his speed could become an issue for Aerts.
Winner via Unanimous Decision: Peter Aerts.

Shahin: Ah, the first year in Aerts' career that he hasn't made it to the finals. This is truly some sad stuff, but let's be real here. He's no longer the feared decimator he used to be. He's slowed down considerably, lost a chunk of his gas tank, and just doesn't seem to have the same skills that he once did. He isn't setting up his kicks properly, he isn't blocking shots and using his movement properly either, regardless of what Michael will tell you. Saki, on the other hand, is still very fast, and very versatile. However, he isn't the biggest fighter in this tourney and the size difference can play some part. Aerts being the grandpa he is can still win it here. He still has power, and half a brain to land a good shot. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Aerts uses one of his last flashes of brilliance and pulls out the win. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Peter Aerts.

Jamie: Winner via Split Decision: Gokhan Saki.


The Final Forecast: Aerts shows that he’s not completely dried-up by beating Saki.


Daniel Ghita vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Michael: Sergei Kharitonov is tapped to replace Chalid Arrab who was forced off the card due to injury. Kharitonov will be facing off against the darling of 2009, Daniel Ghita, who set a K-1 tournament record by dispatching 3 opponents in a total of 5:15. This will be Sergei's first professional kickboxing bout and I expect Ghita to stick with his bread and butter; taking Sergei's legs out from underneath him with his nasty leg kicks. Winner via 3rd round (T)KO: Daniel Ghita.

Shahin: This fight should be bananas. We’ve got two crazy Eastern European's banging it out in the 2nd reserve fight of the night. We haven't seen too much of Sergei in a while. If the old Sergei is going to be used as an example, we'd remember that he can get rather careless/cocky at times. But he still does have some relatively good hands (but still, I'm basing this off of 2-3 years ago). Ghita is still a monster, and a hot item in K-1's roster right now. He has the size and power, and I personally think he'll be able to pull it off. I doubt Sergei will be anything close to what he used to be and will get outworked here. Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Daniel Ghita.

Jamie: Winner via 3rd round (T)KO: Daniel Ghita.


The Final Forecast: Ghita welcomes back Kharitonov to fighting with a leg-mashing beatdown.


K-1 World GP 2009 Quarterfinals


Ruslan Karaev vs. Badr Hari

Michael: The rubber match between Hari and Karaev comes at an interesting point, as both fighters have improved since their last meeting, but it appears Hari has improved more so. Karaev had a nice performance against HW Champion, Kyotaro, but followed that up with a disappointing loss to Hesdy Gerges where he ate leg kick after leg kick. Hari has underrated leg kicks and I see him going with the same plan that Hesdy used, wearing out Ruslan's legs and finishing him in the 3rd. Winner via 3rd round (T)KO: Badr Hari.

Shahin: Karaev is a fast and fun guy to watch, but let's be honest, Hari is the last dude to mess with right now. He's ferocious, and his gym just burned down, so as long as that doesn't cloud his mind, it should actually motivate him to destroy whatever comes his way and find a fitting replacement for all the trophies Mike's Gym lost in the fire. Winner via 3rd round (T)KO: Badr Hari.

Jamie: Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Badr Hari.


The Final Forecast: Hari punishes Karaev’s legs and dodges the judges by putting him out of his misery.


Alistair Overeem vs. Ewerton Teixeira

Michael: Alistair Overeem is the surprise of the tournament coming off a huge wins over Hari and K-1 legend Peter Aerts. He has size, speed, and power which is proving to be many K-1 fighters’ downfalls against him right now, as he is a monster in the clinch. Ewerton Teixeira is a Kyokushin fighter which means he has very powerful leg kicks. I can see him trying to stay on the outside and using his kicks to slow down Alistair, but I feel Alistair will be able to nullify this enough to get Ewerton on the ropes, where he can off on Tex. That said, Ewerton's leg work in this fight may prove costly to Alistair as he moves on in the tournament. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Alistair Overeem.

Shahin: I haven't been too impressed with Alistair's last two fights in K-1, and frankly, I think his fortunate win over an unfit Hari still has some lingering hype to this day. Sure he has the power, but he's still pretty slow. But given the right opponent, he can still rip them a new one. Now on that note, he's fighting Teixeira. Yes, the guy is a very impressive Karateka, but I've never been the least bit impressed with him in K-1. He's extremely lethargic, and depressing to watch. This will probably be my most biased pick in a while, but I'm thinking/hoping Overeem by sheer destruction. Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Alistair Overeem.

Jamie: Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Alistair Overeem.


The Final Forecast: Overeem overpowers Teixeira, ending his dreams of becoming the 2009 WGP champion.


Jerome LeBanner vs. Semmy Schilt

Michael: JLB/Schilt 4 is truly a fight we don't need to see. Jerome's body can't be trusted to make it through a fight at this point and Semmy is out to prove he is still the king of this mountain. This fight goes the way the other 3 have. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Semmy Schilt.

Shahin: Not this shit again. Although, last time around, I did think Jerome did rather well. However, he's not picking his shots properly anymore. He's just looking for that one hail mary and he won't give up till he gets it -- and he hasn't gotten it in a while. Lately, Schilt hasn't looked all that hot either. Since his loss to Aerts last year, he hasn't put on much of a showing, and he did get his ass raped by Hari. Unfortunately, Schilt has the aging LeBanner figured out by now, and I personally think he'll be able to drag him to a UD win. But I really hope I'm wrong. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Semmy Schilt.

Jamie: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Semmy Schilt.


The Final Forecast: JLB experiences severe déjàvu at the hands of Semmy Schilt and the K-1 match-makers.


Errol Zimmerman vs. Remy Bonjasky

Michael: In an attempt to defend his title, Remy Bonjasky starts off with the “Bone Crusher”, Errol Zimmerman. This is a fight that seems tailor made for Remy, as Errol is a go for broke fighter, a fighter type that Remy eats-up. Errol was coming off the high of 2008, which saw him go 8-1 with his lone loss coming to Badr Hari in a competitive fight which saw both men going toe to toe and getting dropped. But 2009 hasn't been so kind to Errol, as he has gone only 2-2, and barring a hail mary, I see him going to 2-3 as Remy's peek-a-boo defense will be in full effect. Winner via Unanimous Decision: Remy Bonjasky.

Shahin: This should either be very fun, or very boring. Zimmerman is a guy who loves to bang, and hits like a commuter train. Remy on the other hand, is very calculated, and once he finds the right opportunity, fires up his jets and rams his foot through your face and smashes it into the back of your skull, it's crazy, you should see it. But that's only if he finds the right opportunity. Thing is sometimes he doesn't and when he doesn't his fights tend to be a bit lacklustre (ex: his fights with Overeem and Manhoef). At the end of the day, Bonjasky has much more tools and experience and should able to either outpoint, or finish Errol. Winner via 3rd round (T)KO: Remy Bonjasky.

Jamie: Winner via Unanimous Decision: Remy Bonjasky


The Final Forecast: Bonjasky moves on to the next round by edging out Zimmerman through calculation and composure.


K-1 World Grand Prix Finals 2009 Winner predictions:

Michael: As for how the tournament plays out, I see a Badr Hari/Semmy Schilt rematch in the finals. Badr will take on Overeem in the Semi Final and I'm expecting Mike Passenier will have Badr work a high guard and low kicks to take advantage of the work that Ewerton laid down in the quarterfinals. Semmy will rematch against Bonjasky and Bonjasky struggled badly the last time they fought and was even stopped. I see Semmy taking a decision and moving on to the final. We saw this final already at It's Showtime and this fight will probably play out the same. Hari will come in aggressive and not let Semmy get comfortable and he will touch Semmy's chin sending the giant to the canvas once again, claiming his first K-1 title.

Shahin: Undecided..

Jamie: Badr Hari takes the 2009 title!


The Final Forecast: Badr Hari gets to the finals, by stopping Karaev, gaining vengeance against Overeem, and beating either Schilt or Bonjasky for the title.


Super Fight


Tyrone Spong vs. Keijiro “Kyotaro” Maeda

Michael: Tyrone Spong looks to try and improve at his new weightclass by taking on K-1 Heavyweight Champion, Kyotaro. This will be the first fight that Spong will have under Ernesto Hoost's tutelage and it will be interesting to see how this partnership works out as Hoost was always a smaller HW and that is the position Spong is in now. I expect Kyotaro to be up to his old ways of hitting and running so I would like to see Spong cut off the ring, stay smart, and work Kyotaro's legs and body over to slow him down and hopefully knock Kyotaro out. Winner by Unanimous Decision: Tyrone Spong.

Shahin: This one is a no brainer really. Spong should be able to use his basic tools to beat the living crap out of MaedaHe's beginning to slowly but surely get exposed. By now, Spong should be at the right size to eventually deal with the HWs. And another loss for Maeda wouldn't look good at all. Winner via 1st round (T)KO: Tyrone Spong.

Jamie: Winner via 2nd round (T)KO: Tyrone Spong.


The Final Forecast: Spong successfully transitions to heavyweight by giving Kyotaro a real beating.